Item: Booksmart
Rating: 9
Author: Matt Rooney

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Plot: After keeping their nose to the books and ace-ing their way through high school, friends Molly and Amy realize they've spent zero time enjoying high school the way they should've. On the night before graduation, the two hit the town in hopes of having some of that fun their rest of their classmates are having, leading them from one wild scenario to another.

Review: The last decade or so has seen some of the best high school movies come out since John Hughes defined the genre in the long, long ago of the 80s. Notable titles coming to mind are "Superbad", "Easy A", "The Perks of Being a Wallflower", "Me and Earl, and The Dying Girl", "The Edge of Seventeen", "Lady Bird", "Love, Simon" and last year's triumph, "Eighth Grade". The latest entry in the genre, BOOKSMART, deserves not only to be among their ranks but perhaps near the top as one of the very best in the field. Across 100 minutes you get everything you could want from a story set at the edge of adulthood, including riotous, constant laughs and heartfelt moments, all contained in a debaucherously madcap and emotionally profound story of self-discovery and friendship.

Centered on two friends who bought into the tale that the only way to succeed is to stick your head down and study, study, study, Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) soon discover that all their classmates who seemingly wasted their time partying and getting laid also got into Ivy League schools. Molly takes it especially hard, erupting into absolute (albeit hilarious) rage when she – after an intended moment of triumph by listing her hard-earned achievements – is told by the girl famous around the school for her sexual maturity got into the same university as she did. A pact is then formed between the two inseparable friends, and they decide that on the night before graduation they will indeed go out on the town, and will certainly get into all manner of f**ked up situations at a party while they’re still technically in high school.

Feldstein and Dever are absolute rock stars in their performances, shining from the moment Molly exits her home and starts awkwardly bogeying down the stairs as Amy matches her move for move by the car. Their chemistry is the stuff of magic, as Feldstein perfectly exudes the same kind of fiercely, commandingly funny presence as her brother (Jonah Hill), and Dever brilliantly juxtaposing as the shier, more meticulous and neurotic of the two, trying to think first when Molly just wants to go off and rage for once. Both characters are intelligent, progressive (referencing activist Malala Yousafzai when making unbreakable promises), mostly confident in themselves, and are relentlessly funny in their own special ways. If these two actresses don’t become megastars after this, I don’t have much faith in the world.

Their adventure into the world of teenage debauchery follows a very familiar pace to movies like "Superbad" and "Dazed and Confused", mostly taking in place during one night as the two venture through a series of zany, wildly hilarious scenarios before reaching their ultimate goal. Scattered across the movie is a litany of equally hysterical, perfectly-performed characters, like Billie Lourd’s ethereal and possibly clinically insane Gigi, the girl who somehow knows everyone and everything and just randomly shows up like a coked-up specter out of the mist. There’s also Noah Galvin as George, the very, very intense theater kid who hosts an elaborate murder mystery party the girls get wrapped up in and; Skyler Gisondo as the ridiculous but also ridiculously kind Jared, who drives a car akin to the Mirth Mobile in Wayne’s World and dresses like an over-privileged tool, but who is so sweetly delusional and innocent you can’t help but root for him. Jessica Williams, Lisa Kudrow and SNL alums Will Forte, Jason Sudeikis and Mike O’Brien all have small recurring roles as the adults, and each dominates their precious minutes.

No praise for BOOKSMART should count without properly crediting writers Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, Katie Silberman for crafting a story that’s lean, mean, funny as hell and incredibly truthful. For every purely disgusting and riotous gag, there are profound moments of discovery, wherein the characters learn hard truths and have sexual awakenings that lean into territory I can’t recall seeing in movies of this kind before, and all with a maturity that isn’t undermined by any of the surrounding moments of sheer shock and profanity. Amy has an intimate moment during that party with the cool girl at school (rocking the James Dean vibe) that exudes a real raw, powerful energy that other movies in the field have only skirted over. I loathe hack summations like “You’ll laugh; you’ll cry,” but this movie will so easily have you rolling in your seat, all before tearing your guard down and investing in these characters in profound ways, all before making your body hurt with laughter all over again.

For guiding this masterful tightrope act all the kudos I can muster go to Olivia Wilde in a stunning directorial debut. The movie can be all at once absurd and thought-provoking, and Wilde balances the two without missing a beat and showcases a remarkable visual eye. She knows when to let comedic moments breathe in wider shots or when to let them settle with focus on the characters’ expressions, which is smart move given how terrific and layered every performance is. Furthermore, there’s nothing simplistic or generic about her style, with numerous scenes having the flair and vibe of an indie drama soaked in neon colors that show another side of the California setting. All in one she demonstrates a strength for both comedy and visual language, and it’s work that should be remembered come year’s end award nominations.

We’ve had a ton of movies come out so far this year, including some masterclasses in horror, comedy and superhero blockbusters. Even though there’s still plenty left to come, there’s no way this year will end without BOOKSMART making my best of the year list. The story framework itself may not be incredibly new, but everything you could ever want from a movie of this kind is represented, and it takes you on a journey of friendship and emotional and sexual growth that’s just as gut-bustlingly funny as it is wise and heartfelt, while finding places to put a fresh spin on the genre as a whole. My only hope is that people don’t sleep on it because it deserves to be a breakout indie hit of the summer.